Jared Gonzales is a seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher at Yavneh Hebrew Academy in Los Angeles. (photo courtesy of Jared Gonzales)

As the only classroom teacher seeking one of two open seats on the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education, Jared Gonzales believes his experience working directly with students would bring a needed perspective to the board.

Gonzales, a Beverly Hills resident who teaches seventh- and eighth-grade math at Yavneh Hebrew Academy in Los Angeles, previously taught middle school math at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills. He also holds a master’s degree in dispute resolution from the University of Southern California and previously taught fifth-grade math and science through Teach for America.

He is one of five candidates competing for two seats on the board in the Nov. 3 election. Gonzales said academics, school culture and board governance are among the most important issues facing the district.

“I’m fighting to make sure that we have educational expertise on the board for the next four years,” he said.

Gonzales said he began seriously exploring a run approximately a year ago and has since spoken with students, parents, current and former board members and other community leaders. He has also been involved with Team Beverly Hills, the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and the Beverly Hills High School PTSA.

With longtime educator Rachelle Marcus leaving the board, Gonzales said he believes maintaining firsthand classroom experience among the district’s elected leadership is particularly important.

His first priority is improving academic performance, where Gonzales said BHUSD has made progress but still has significant room for improvement. He argued that Beverly Hills has the resources and personnel to achieve stronger academic results and said the district should look closely at what is happening inside classrooms.

He said his own experience teaching students who have struggled with math has shaped his approach. He specializes in teaching “on-level” students, including children who may enter his classroom with low confidence or a history of difficulty in the subject. He said his seventh-grade students last year averaged approximately two years of academic growth over the course of one school year.

“I know what it takes to get scores up because I’ve done it year in and year out,” Gonzales said.

If elected, Gonzales said he would examine whether teachers are consistently implementing district curriculum, whether students have adequate tutoring and intervention opportunities and whether families are aware of resources that already exist.

He also emphasized student engagement, arguing that strong teachers and curriculum cannot succeed on their own if students do not feel invested in school.

“You could have the best teachers, the best curriculum, but if kids don’t want to be in class, it doesn’t matter,” Gonzales said.

Creating a more positive school culture is closely connected to academics, he said. Gonzales said he has spoken with parents who removed their children from Beverly Hills schools following negative experiences, particularly at the high school. Although he did not attribute those departures to a single issue, he said students need a structured, inclusive environment where they feel supported.

The district has also faced repeated allegations of anti-Black racism and discrimination involving students and employees. Gonzales cautioned that allegations in ongoing litigation have not been proven in court but said reports of racist conduct must be taken seriously.

“None of this should be tolerated whatsoever,” he said. “It’s a shame to even hear that these things are allegedly happening.”

Gonzales said BHUSD should consider additional school programming that clearly establishes expectations for how students treat one another, including instruction about respect and unacceptable behavior. He said accountability should follow when students violate those standards, while also giving them opportunities to learn from their actions.

He said he would also support additional training or policy changes to address discrimination involving district employees.

Gonzales also supports district recognition of cultural and heritage months, an issue that divided the board during the previous school year.

Gonzales, who described himself as half Latino and half white, said his own mixed-race background and experiences in diverse schools shaped his view that students should have opportunities to see their cultures acknowledged.

“Every student deserves to be recognized in these ways,” he said. “I don’t think there should be anything wrong with that.”

He added that recognition should be handled consistently across different groups and should not favor one community over another.

Gonzales also said he would support reworking the district’s policy governing political, religious and socially sensitive topics in classrooms. While he supports provisions intended to prevent teachers from using the classroom to promote their own political beliefs, he said he has spoken with current BHUSD teachers who believe the policy is vague and has created a “chill” around instruction.

He said political or controversial subjects may legitimately arise in classes such as history and should be presented neutrally when they are relevant to the curriculum. He said the board should be willing to revisit policies after hearing how they are affecting teachers in practice.

“I think it could benefit from getting reworked,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales said his graduate training in dispute resolution would also help him address conflict among members of the Board of Education.

The board has experienced repeated public disagreements during the past year, including litigation over its selection of a vice president and frequent tense exchanges during public meetings.

Gonzales said board members should approach disagreements with empathy, professionalism and respect.

“At the meetings … it’s looked to me sometimes like a middle school classroom that’s on fire,” he said.

Gonzales acknowledged that one board member cannot control the behavior of the others but said he would try to set a different tone.

“What I can promise is that I’m going to lead with the values that I hold dear as a professional, as a teacher, as a human being, as a resident of the city,” he said.

He would also change how the board handles public comment. Gonzales said the public comment period should be moved toward the beginning of meetings and that residents should have greater opportunities to participate remotely and submit written comments. The board currently restricts public comments to in-person remarks at the end of the meeting. He said he has personally waited four or five hours at meetings for an opportunity to speak for less than two minutes.

Gonzales said student safety and wellness are another campaign priority. He supports additional school resource officers and mental health resources and said the district should maintain clear screening and approval procedures for outside speakers while protecting students’ free speech rights.

On district finances, Gonzales said he is concerned about the approximately $3.3 million deficit and potential future spending reductions.

Rather than allowing cuts to affect teachers, staff or enrichment opportunities, he suggested lowering the district’s reserve target from approximately 25% to roughly 20%. Gonzales said that would still leave BHUSD with reserves well above the state minimum while freeing money to address current deficits.

“As a teacher, I’m very concerned that these budget cuts could lead to cutting of faculty and staff that are great people and are going to be difficult to replace,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales acknowledged that, as a first-time candidate, he does not have the name recognition or fundraising capacity of some of his opponents. But he said his background in education and conflict resolution distinguishes his campaign.

“I have the values and the skill sets that I believe our residents would tremendously benefit from having on the board this fall,” Gonzales said.